Patent describes system where new top level domain operators can bid for preferred placement registrar sites.

Want to get your new top level domain name positioned well on GoDaddy?

Prepare to pay.

That’s the idea behind a pay-for-placement approach for TLD placement on registrar web sites that Go Daddy has devised.

Oh, and it has a patent on it.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued U.S. patent 7,890,602 (pdf) to Go Daddy today for “Tools enabling preferred domain positioning on a registration website”.

Think of it similar to Google Adwords. A registry wants .tld to show up high in search results on Go Daddy. So it bids for the placement on a cost-per-click, cost-per-impression, or other scheme.

Go Daddy would then take the bid amount and factor in the quality of the TLD to determine its actual placement, similar to how Google Adwords considers the quality of the ad or landing page for both total revenue and customer experience purposes.

Some of the factors that Go Daddy says it might use to consider the quality score include the TLD’s market share, renewal rates, customer service, pricing, whois type, user restrictions and uptime, among others.

The patent also describes similar embodiments that aren’t as granular, such as paying a flat monthly fee for placement.